


Every Face a Different Shade

by somethingvaguetodo



Series: Paper Faces [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: 5+1 Things, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, One Shot, Set in an AU but not really AU, literally just a lot of kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-23 17:18:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17687642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somethingvaguetodo/pseuds/somethingvaguetodo
Summary: Five times Ladybug kissed Chat Noir after a fight, and one time she didn’t. Alternatively, Ladybug gradually falls in love with her partner. Set in the Paper Faces universe.





	Every Face a Different Shade

**Author's Note:**

> IM BACKKK! Remember when I said the fall semester would be bad? Well, it was. And then January moved in an attempted to off me completely. But I survived! And managed to mangle this together!! I present you, as promised, the Paper Faces prequel, although you don't have to have read PF to read this, as it doesn't really have much to do with that plot (but if you are here, take a look at Paper Faces :) )! Title comes from another lyric in Masquerade from Phantom of the Opera.
> 
> Also, I imagine these as happening approximately once each year, starting when they are sixteen years old.

1.

The past few months had seen an increase in the ferocity of akumas, and this one was no exception. Ladybug ducked beneath the shattered remains of a bus stop and pulled out her yo-yo to call Chat. 

He picked up on the second ring. “Where are you?” His voice was frantic, and the explosions that were distant from her were loud behind Chat.

“That last blast sent me over by Le Centre Pompidou,” she explained. “Where are you?”

“Near the Louvre but I think he’s heading west.”

Ladybug nodded. “Meet you at Place de la Concorde in two minutes.” She waited for his confirmation before snapping the yo-yo shut. Ladybug launched herself into the air, her yo-yo slung around a lamppost.

She touched down beside Chat Noir in front of the fountain. A quick glance at him showed that he was not in any better condition than she was. He tipped toward her, clearly favoring his right leg, and a large purple bruise was blossoming on his jawline. Chat turned to her, his eyes appraising. “Are you okay?” 

Ladybug nodded. “I’ll be better once we defeat him,” she said, reaching up briefly to brush her fingers over his bruise.

She snatched her hand back when she noticed the look in his eyes. “Lucky Charm!” she called instead, throwing her yo-yo up in the air. A pair of skis landed in her waiting hands. “Skis?”

Ladybug glanced around, waiting for inspiration to strike. The akuma - an angry construction worker - had caught up with them, and began sending exploding wrecking balls their way. Ladybug and Chat Noir leapt in different directions to avoid them.

“Chat!” she called when a plan began formulating in her mind. “He needs to lose his footing!” Chat nodded in understanding and took off. It was one of their preferred methods of trapping akumas; Chat would destroy the ground below them, and this gave Ladybug the opening to come in from above and destroy their cursed item. 

The akuma started following Chat and lobbed another wrecking ball in his direction. Ladybug turned a heartbeat too late to stop what was about to happen. 

The wrecking ball hit the base of the Luxor Obelisk, causing it to immediately begin teetering. Chat’s skid to create a crater with his cataclysm deposited him directly in the obelisk’s strike zone. 

“Chat!” Ladybug screamed, but it was too late. The obelisk fell just as Chat looked up, flattening him to the ground. 

Ladybug dropped the skis and took off running, paying no attention to the akuma. She slid to a stop on her knees, beside Chat’s head. 

“Chat,” she whispered, hands fluttering around him, unsure if she should touch. The obelisk laid across his torso and legs, leaving his head sticking out one end and the tips of his boots the other. He groaned and screwed his eyes shut. His face was covered in a layer of dust. 

Ladybug pressed her hands against the obelisk and tried to push it, but even with the super strength provided by her suit she was unable to budge it. 

“Ladybug,” Chat rasped, stopping to cough. “Leave it, go fight him.”

“But, Chat, I don’t want to leave you –” 

He smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. “Thanks for caring, LB, but I’m trapped between a rock and a hard place. That’s the only way out.”

Ladybug went to protest, but the sound of more explosions stopped her. “Okay. I’ll be right back,” she whispered. She allowed herself one second to stroke his cheek, right at the ridge where his mask met flesh, before standing. 

She felt panicky, but tried her hardest to laser focus her feelings – a messy turmoil of fear, anger, and adrenaline. The red and black skis lay on the far side of the plaza, but Ladybug disregarded them. Instead, she turned to the akuma, grabbed her yo-yo, and ran. 

Ladybug’s thoughts wandered as she fought with a ferocity that surprised her. In the past two years of fighting akumas, they had encountered some that had relatively harmless powers, to some with frankly just bizarre and unexplainable powers, to some with dangerous powers. Their super suits protected them from too much damage, and Ladybug’s cure healed all wounds, but this one scared her. If it weren’t for his suit, Chat could have been killed by that falling obelisk. He _would_ have been killed. 

She almost didn’t realize in her furious haze that the black and purple butterfly had been released, and was making a getaway into the sky. Her yo-yo made quick work of purifying it, and Ladybug dashed back to where the skis lay, forgotten and useless on the ground. She launched them into the air, the magical lights blinding as they swept around the plaza. 

By the time she returned to where Chat was, the obelisk was back in its proper position, and her partner was sitting up and grinning at her, whole and in one piece. 

“Great job, m’lady,” he said, but Ladybug didn’t respond. She crashed into him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and burying her face in his neck. 

“I was so scared, Chat,” she whispered into him. His skin felt warm and alive, and she snuggled closer, wanting to hear his heartbeat. Chat hesitated for a fraction of a second before returning her hug, his claws prickling against her back. 

He laughed a little, without any real humor, and Ladybug could feel it rumble through him. “I’m okay, Ladybug,” he reassured her. “You fixed everything.”

Ladybug moaned, not sure how to express her feelings of utter anguish that had come about when she saw him trapped beneath the obelisk. When she mustered enough energy to pull back and look at him, Ladybug saw fear beneath the sparkle in his eyes. He was just as scared as she was.

Without thinking, she leaned forward and kissed him. The feeling of his lips against hers was just another reassurance that he was alive, the puff of air he released a sign that he was breathing. Chat seemed frozen in shock, stiff against her for a moment before he all but melted in her arms. Ladybug pulled back at that moment, realizing what she had done.

The shock was evident on Chat’s face, and Ladybug didn’t know how to address it. She couldn’t even explain her actions to herself; she just needed to do something to prove that he was okay. 

Instead of answering the question that was clear in Chat’s expression, Ladybug pulled back even more, letting go of him. Chat let his arms fall so he was no longer hugging her, but otherwise didn’t move. “Well, I’m glad you are okay,” Ladybug said, patting him lightly on the chest. When he still didn’t respond, she leapt up. 

“See you,” she said, waving awkwardly before slinging her yo-yo out and flying away as fast as she could. She didn’t turn back to see if Chat’s mind had re-booted, and hoped he wouldn’t think too much about her kiss, or bring it up next time they saw each other.

~~~

2.

Ladybug’s feet pounded against the rooftop as she ran toward the 6ième. She was off of her pattern, running an unfamiliar route, but just because tonight was a joint patrol night did not mean she had to see Chat Noir. 

In fact, she would be happy if she didn’t see Chat Noir for the rest of the month. Or possibly the rest of the year.

They hadn’t spoken in over two weeks. Last time they had gone this long without communicating, Chat had been out of the country and Ladybug missed him with an aching desperation. Now, she was glad for the respite from seeing his stupid face.

Ladybug could barely remember how their fight started, but it had quickly unraveled into every grievance they had held on to for the entire three years of knowing one another. They had argued and disagreed in the past, but had always resolved it - or pushed it aside - relatively quickly. Now that she had time to stew in her anger, Ladybug didn’t want to reconcile without a good, hard fight.

She took a running leap over the gap between two buildings, not paying attention to where she was going. They had both said some nasty and hurtful things, but right now all Ladybug could feel about it was the burn of anger. How _dare_ he think he could make this about trust? Saying that she didn’t trust him enough to share important information with him when he clearly didn’t trust her enough to understand why she kept things to herself. Her identity, her meetings with Master Fu, the information about how to create their other forms of transformation. She gave him the cheese he needed, she told him which one would result in which transformation, she made sure he understood. She was the one who always took this job seriously, he was the one who liked to joke and pun and flirt like they weren’t hard at work _saving the world_.

So maybe it was a little mean to call him lazy, irresponsible, and careless. But he called her selfish, cold, and controlling. 

And she was determined to show him that she is just as stubborn as he thinks she is. Never mind that he is the stubborn one between the two of them. 

“Stupid, arrogant feline,” she muttered under her breath, stopping to catch her breath on a random rooftop overlooking the Seine. 

“You know it’s rude to talk about people behind their backs.” 

Ladybug scowled at the sound of his voice and spun around to face him. 

“Excuse me, but I believe you are the one behind me. Were you following me?”

Chat’s frown deepened. “I was under the impression there was a joint patrol tonight. But maybe I’m so careless I messed up my days of the week?”

Ladybug refused to rise to the bait. Chat’s posture was defensive: he stood with his arms crossed and his shoulders hunched like a wary cat. His leather ears were almost flat against his head, his tail unmoving behind him. 

“Besides,” Chat continued when Ladybug didn’t respond, “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Oh, so now we have to do things the way you want to?” Ladybug asked, crossing her arms to mirror him. 

“Why not? It would make for a nice change.” 

Ladybug glared at him. “What?” she ground out. 

“It’s about the akuma this afternoon.” 

Ladybug smirked. She had managed to take down that akuma in record time, all before Chat could arrive to help her with it. “Was there a reason you didn’t call me? Because it’s pretty damn stupid to put yourself in danger just to prove I’m as useless as you think I am.”

“I was never in any danger, Chat,” she said, pushing aside the stupid voice in her head telling her he still cared about her safety even when he was mad at her. “I’m perfectly capable of handling an akuma on my own.”

Chat rolled his eyes. “Oh, I forgot. Ladybug, Savior of Paris, doesn’t need any help!”

“Shut up, Chat,” Ladybug screamed, releasing her arms only to have her hands ball into fists at her side. “Stop making this all about you.”

Chat laughed, but it was cold and without any humor. “It’s never about me, Ladybug.” He took a step closer to her. “Maybe I should just turn over my miraculous to Hawkmoth next time, it’s not like I’m helping out here anyway. Or better yet,” he thrust his right hand out and held it in front of her face, the green of the paw print on his ring standing out in the darkness, “take it yourself and find someone you would rather have as a partner. Someone who isn’t irresponsible and careless. Someone you trust.”

Ladybug stared at him in disbelief for a moment. Her chest was heaving with the weight of her breathing as she tried to process what was happening. Anger and pride were still at the forefront of her emotions, but guilt was slowly creeping in, the guilt of knowing that it was her fault that he actually believed she would be better off without him. 

She wanted to hit him. So she did the next best thing. 

Ladybug swatted Chat’s hand away and shoved him hard, hands against his chest. He stumbled, back bumping against the chimney behind him. She stepped forward, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and kissed him. 

Unlike the last time she had kissed him, Chat didn’t hesitate. His hands flew to her hips, grabbing them and pulling her closer. She tugged him down so she didn’t have to stretch to reach his lips. The kiss was sloppy, both of them pouring out all of their feelings - aggression, frustration, passion. Ladybug tangled her fingers in his hair, tugging a little too hard, and he answered back by squeezing her hips tighter, so tight she was sure they would bruise. It was a fight for dominance, and Ladybug stomped down her sudden desire to bite him, just to see how far he would retaliate. 

A soft beep from her miraculous brought reality crashing back around her, and all of the fight drained out of her, leaving her limp in his grasp. 

She pulled herself away from him with a sob. “I’m sorry,” she whimpered. 

Chat’s hands slid off of her hips. “There’s no need to apologize.” He was panting, leaning against the chimney for support. 

Ladybug took a deep breath before explaining herself. “No, Chat, I’m sorry about everything I said. You aren’t irresponsible, you aren’t lazy, and I never want you to think you are useless because you aren’t.” Her voice was becoming increasingly high pitched, but she kept going. “I am stubborn, and you’re right, I haven’t been fair about telling you stuff but I was scared. Even though that’s not an excuse. I trust you with everything; I trust you with my life. But, Chat, please,” she stopped to catch her breath again and grabbed hold of his hands in her own, “please never think I want you to give up your miraculous. Because there’s no one I would rather do this with. And I know I couldn’t do it without you.”

She finally stopped talking and bit her lip, waiting for Chat to respond. He looked overwhelmed by her onslaught of words but slowly started to smile. He laced his fingers through hers. “Apology accepted, bugaboo. And I’m sorry too. I don’t actually think you’re a selfish stick-in-the-mud.”

Ladybug laughed, feeling better than she had in weeks. “You never called me that.”

“No,” Chat smiled wider. “But I thought it.”

They stood together in silence for a moment before Ladybug’s miraculous beeped again. 

“I should go,” she said softly. Half of her didn’t want to leave, not after they’d made up, but the other half was antsy and desperate to go. She was afraid of giving in to the crazy desire to kiss him again, but couldn’t do that. She had made it very clear where she stood on having a relationship. 

Chat’s eyes were undecipherable. “I’ll see you around, then,” he said, giving her hands one last squeeze before letting go.

Ladybug smiled at him and grabbed her yo-yo, slinging it out to attach to a rooftop across the street. She pulled it taunt and prepared to launch before turning back to Chat. “And I’ll be sure to call you next time I need you.” She winked at him before swinging away into the night.

~~~

3.

The silence in the streets was unnerving and unnatural. 

Ladybug rotated slowly in place from her position on the roof of Musée d’Orsay, trying to use the vantage point to spot the akuma. She didn’t notice anything, but the sky was unusually dark for the time of day, and a dense fog hung over the streets. 

“Chat,” she whispered, glad that they had thought ahead to use their hands-free communication devices. She waited for his hum of acknowledgement before continuing. “I don’t see anything here.”

Chat’s voice was low in her ear. “Nothing here either.” He was on the other side of the Seine, closer to the Louvre. “Should we move on?”

“Let’s meet at Notre Dame,” Ladybug suggested. Something shifted in the corner of her eye, and she turned sharply, spinning on her heel. The fog swirled, but revealed nothing. “I don’t think splitting up was a good idea.”

“You okay, LB?”

Ladybug thought about it. Years ago, she would have had trouble admitting to Chat that she was scared. Now, she knew better.

“This one is giving me the creeps. I’ll feel better when we are together.”

“I always feel better when I’m with you,” Chat joked, but Ladybug could hear the unsettled tone of his voice. 

Ladybug took one last look around, and seeing nothing, cast out her yo-yo. She couldn’t see what it attached to through the fog. “Just meet me as soon as you can,” she muttered to Chat. Tugging on the string of the yo-yo to make sure it was secure, she took off, soaring through the fog to the roof of another building. She took off running immediately.

The fog became denser the further east she went. Ladybug almost lost her footing and slipped at a gap between roofs, stopping herself just in time and making the necessary leap. 

Neither she nor Chat had been able to spot this akuma in the past hour that they had been searching. But Ladybug could not shake the feeling that there was something very wrong. The streets were empty, and there were no screams, but there was a darkness in the clouds and a fog that was foreboding. Ladybug really wanted to be rid of this akuma before finding out what it was capable of. 

_“Ladybug.”_

It was hardly a whisper, echoing around in the emptiness. 

Ladybug froze, one hand extended as she prepared to cast her weapon again. She rotated slowly once more, looking for the source of the voice, but was unsuccessful. 

“Chat, is that you?” she called out hopefully, knowing it wasn’t. 

“What?” Chat’s voice answered in her ear. “Was what me?”

Ladybug’s breaths were shallow, her chest heaving. “I heard something,” she spoke as quietly as possible. “Someone called my name. But I can’t see anything.” She began turning more quickly, determined to find who called out to her. The fog was growing thicker.

_“Ladybug.”_

It was the same whisper as before. 

Ladybug spun, her heart hammering in her chest. “Who’s there?” she called out.

“Ladybug, what’s going on?” Chat sounded worried. 

The fog becoming thicker and thicker, more of a grey than a white, and almost looked like human figures in the streets.

“Who’s there?” she called again. She could hear her voice getting higher pitched.

“LB, tell me where you are, and I’ll come to you.” Chat’s voice was firm in her ear, composed and reassuring.

Ladybug fought down the mounting panic and looked around. She couldn’t identify anything in the fog. The street signs weren’t visible, and she didn’t recognize the roof she was standing on. 

“Chat, I can’t tell where I am.” This time she could hear the panic in her voice. She was alone, lost, and the fog was getting closer. “I can’t make anything out, Chat, but the fog is getting thicker and –”

_“Ladybug.”_

The voice was right behind her, and a chill ran up her spine. Ladybug tried to steady her breathing, squeezing her yo-yo tight in her hand. She pivoted slowly, coming to face the akuma. It looked like a man formed out of the fog itself, dark grey and opaque, wearing a large overcoat and hat. His eyes were gleaming. 

“I’ve always wanted to meet you, Ladybug.”

The akuma still frightened her more than usual, but having someone in front of her rather than a source-less voice was giving her some courage. “Well, now we’ve met.”

“Have you found them?” Chat asked. She hummed low, but he understood. “Stay calm, I’m coming.”

The akuma seemed oblivious to her exchange with Chat Noir. “I’m sorry we aren’t meeting under better circumstances, chérie, but I’m afraid you have something I need.” 

Ladybug frowned. She released her yo-yo and started spinning it, creating a shield. “And what makes you think you’re going to succeed where no one else has?”

The akuma laughed, and a deep chill went through Ladybug, settling into her bones. “I’m not like anyone else.”

Ladybug prepared herself for him to rush at her, but instead he took one small step forward, his right arm extended. A light glinted off of his wrist: a bracelet.

Tendrils of fog started creeping toward her, spiraling through the air like smoky vines. 

Ladybug blasted them away with her yo-yo and rushed forward, but the akuma laughed and stepped backward, fading into the fog surrounding them. Ladybug stopped mid-run, spinning around and looking for the akuma. His laughter echoed around her, but he was nowhere to be seen. 

“I hadn’t pegged you for a coward,” Ladybug taunted, trying to get him to re-emerge. 

“And I wouldn’t have thought that of you either, Ladybug.” The whisper was soft against the back of her neck, and Ladybug turned as quick as possible but found no one there. 

The fog was pressing in. “Don’t you want to come out and play?” she called. 

“I am playing with you.” The response was quick. 

Ladybug could hear Chat’s breathing heavy in her ear. “I’ve got you on my GPS, Ladybug. It says I’m here but I don’t see you.”

She didn’t have a chance to answer Chat. An icy touch to the back of her ear sent Ladybug reeling, grabbing for an arm that wasn’t there. She tripped, and the tendrils of fog emerged again, wrapping themselves around her, more solid than they appeared. The akuma emerged from the smoke once more. 

“Looks like I’ve caught myself a coccinelle,” he laughed. 

“Chat, hurry,” Ladybug whimpered, wriggling uselessly against the fog binding her to the ground. The akuma stepped closer. 

“I can’t find you!” Chat sounded frantic. 

“No one can help you now, Ladybug,” the akuma taunted, now hovering directly above her. He kneeled down beside her. 

“Ladybug!” Chat’s voice echoed in her ear and around her, somewhere lost in the fog. 

“Chat!” she screamed, bracing herself as the akuma grabbed hold of one of her earrings. 

The akuma’s laughter was interrupted by the sound of metal, and Chat’s staff appeared through the fog. 

Chat Noir dropped in beside her, forcing the akuma to step back. “Get away from her,” he growled. 

Most of the time Chat was a playful superhero, but in that moment Ladybug could only see him as the bearer of destruction. He looked positively feral, his back arched and his teeth bared. 

The akuma laughed again, not intimidated. Ladybug took the moment to whisper to Chat, “the bracelet.” 

Chat didn’t waste any time, rushing forward to confront the akuma only to have him dissolve into the fog. “He can dissolve?”

“Sorry, forgot to mention that,” Ladybug mumbled, still struggling against her bindings. Chat came over to her, slashing his claws through the fog and breaking it up. He extended a hand to help Ladybug to her feet, and they stood back-to-back, ready for an attack. 

Ladybug pressed herself back as much as she could, soaking in Chat’s presence. She called for her Lucky Charm. 

A leaf blower landed in her waiting hands, and Ladybug switched it on, watching how the air around them was disturbed, and the fog blew away, revealing the form of the akuma. 

He came toward them, but Chat was ready, his cataclysm already in hand. While the akuma engaged Ladybug, Chat reached in and tapped the bracelet, causing it to disintegrate. 

Ladybug heaved a sigh of relief as the butterfly emerged, and she quickly captured and purified it. 

As the purifying wave flew over them, Ladybug stepped back, letting Chat take care of the man who used to be the akuma. The sky was still overcast, and a light fog lingered in the streets. Ladybug shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, trying in vain to get warm.

“I turned him over to the authorities,” Chat said as he landed next to her. She hadn’t noticed that he’d left. “They’ll probably just check him over and release him, but I wish they would do more sometimes. This one was creepy.”

Chat’s words pushed her over the edge. She pulled him close, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his neck. He held her tight, hands rubbing soothing circles on her back. 

“You’re okay,” he muttered. “I’ve got you.”

Ladybug whimpered. “Just in time,” she choked out. Chat was warm, but the chill was still settled in her bones. She needed more. 

“He really got to you?” Chat asked, but Ladybug didn’t feel like talking about it. 

She pulled her face back and looked at him. His eyes were soft, but she couldn’t forget the fierce protectiveness she had seen when he arrived to help her fight. There was something about seeing him so serious about his job that always got to her. 

Ladybug pulled him down to meet her and kissed him. She tried to chase away the chill in her bones with the heat of his mouth, with the warmth of his breath, with the fire of his touch. She felt somewhat desperate, clinging to him with all of her might, pushing their lips together with increasing intensity until he took the lead and slowed her down, tilting her head with a hand on her neck.

She pulled away with the first beep of her miraculous, nuzzling her nose against his jaw. “Thanks for everything today, kitty.”

Chat looked down at her and she met his gaze. There was a question in his eyes, and Ladybug scared herself with how much she wanted him to just kiss her again. Instead, he smiled. 

“Every time, Ladybug.”

~~~

4.

“Okay, so I definitely think this week’s edition of _Food Inspired By Us_ will be better than last week.” 

Chat landed next to her on the roof of the Palais Garner and shifted the two tubs of ice cream he had gripped in one hand. “That new artisan _glacier_ in Montmartre has some crazy flavors, but I think we sound good.” He took a seat next to her and squinted at the label on one of the tubs. “You are ‘raspberry sorbet with a hint of passion fruit, brownie bites, and a hot fudge drizzle.’ Yum.” He raised the other one to his eyes. “I’m lemon and activated charcoal, with pistachio pieces.”

Ladybug took the Chat Noir tub and one of the spoons he offered her. “Good thing they added the pistachio, they must know you’re nuts.”

Chat laughed, popping the lid off the Ladybug tub. “That was a good one, LB. 9 out of 10.” He turned to look at her and suddenly frowned. “Are you okay?”

Ladybug shrugged one shoulder and dug out one of the pistachios. “Civilian me problems.” She popped the nut in her mouth and sucked off the ice cream before biting it. 

“Give me a vague description.”

She watched him take a large spoonful of red ice cream before answering. “There’s this guy I went out with a few times...” She trailed off, unsure of what to say. No matter how close the two of them were, this was a touchy subject. 

She chanced a glance at Chat, who had frozen with the spoon in his mouth. He withdrew it slowly. “And?” he asked, his face devoid of identifiable emotion.

Ladybug sighed. “We had a fight today. I think it’s over.” Chat hummed as he listened, but she couldn’t tell if the news made him happy or not. “Do you ever find that you have trouble in relationships because you are keeping this big secret? And then you end up having to run around and make lame excuses and it all blows up in your face eventually?”

Chat looked thoughtful as he chewed on a brownie bite. “Yeah, I mean, I kind of lost a few friends that way?” he answered, making it sound like more of a question than anything else. “But the way I think of it is, if they couldn’t deal with a little flakiness, then they weren’t real friends after all.”

Ladybug took a big spoonful of the black ice cream, letting it melt in her mouth as she thought. The taste was subtle, and the lemon surprisingly refreshing. “That’s an interesting way of thinking about it.”

“But not the answer you were looking for?” Chat asked. He reached into her tub to sample it; he made a face, clearly not a fan. 

Ladybug shrugged again. “I don’t know. I sometimes feel like it’s hopeless to even go on dates. They never work out anyway.”

Chat smirked at her. “Ever think that maybe you were just going out with the wrong person?” He waggled his eyebrows, and Ladybug laughed a little, shoving his shoulder like she did a thousand times before. Yet somehow, shoving him aside didn’t help calm down her racing heart. She was starting to think that maybe that was the reason. Chat Noir was her best friend, and she had known for years now that she found him ridiculously attractive, but there was no chance of them having a relationship while they were superheroes with secret identities.

It still didn’t help when he was a million times more desirable than any of the guys she was going out with. But that wasn’t the issue.

“Chat, how do you stay so optimistic? Doesn’t it hurt that people lose interest if you happen to run out in the middle of a few meals?”

Chat put his spoon down and turned to look at her. “Of course it hurts. But I try to remember that I have a few friends that don’t care anymore, and I have you. What else do I need? I don’t need to willingly spend my time with people who feel the need to criticize and question my every move.”

Ladybug felt tears welling up in her eyes. “I just feel so hopeless,” she whispered. The first tear spilled down her cheek.

Chat pushed his ice cream away and grabbed hold of Ladybug’s cheeks, his claws gentle as he wiped her tears away. “Hey, hey, hey,” he cooed, “nothing is hopeless.” Ladybug reached forward and grabbed hold of his wrists. 

“This is the third guy this year, Chat,” she bemoaned. “I’m sick of feeling like I’m not good enough.”

“Excuse me,” Chat said, continuing to stroke her cheek, just under the lip of her mask. “If these guys can’t see that you are amazing, then they are the ones who are not good enough. You’re Ladybug.”

She laughed, low and humorless. “I’m not Ladybug with any of them. I’m just plain old me.”

Chat shook his head. “You are Ladybug all the time, even when you aren’t wearing the spots. Do you think that I believe any part of you goes away when you de-transform? Just because you flaked out on a few dates doesn’t mean you aren’t the most committed, dedicated, caring, amazing, _miraculous_ –” 

Ladybug cut off his stream of adjectives with a kiss, pushing her face forward until their lips were pressed together. His hands were still cradling her face, claws gentle against her skin. She tried to push aside all of her thoughts, about Luka and their dumb fight and failed attempt at a relationship, about all the dates she had run out in the middle of, about her ridiculous partner who could make her feel better than anyone else in the world could. Her partner, who had moved one of his hands to cup her jaw, adjusting the position of her head so that they were pressed even closer together. Her partner, who was gently coaxing her lips apart with his tongue. Her partner, who was purring contentedly as he kissed her, the vibrations rumbling through him and into her through every point where their bodies connected.

The kiss ended, and Ladybug pulled back a breath, pressing her forehead against his own and refusing to open her eyes. The silence lingered between them for a moment, and Ladybug was half terrified that he would ask her about what just happened, and half hoping desperately that he would call her out on it.

“My ice cream tastes better this way than on a spoon.”

Ladybug shoved his face away, and quickly scrubbed her face to remove the last of her tears. “You’re so weird,” she accused, and he grinned.

“No really,” Chat continued. “You’re so sweet you balance out the sour.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes, but scooted closer to him and leaned her head against his shoulder. She sighed, but appreciated that she could do what everyone else does - nurse a wounded heart with her best friend and a tub of ice cream.

~~~

5.

Paris was burning.

Flames danced around them, and Ladybug stumbled on her landing. The akuma began rampaging early that morning, and it was long past midday. Ladybug had had to re-charge three times; each of her Lucky Charms were useful for the moment to get them out of a tight corner, but ultimately useless in defeating the pyrotechnic akuma wrecking havoc on the city. 

Ladybug didn’t want to think about the fact that she couldn’t recognize her surroundings, that the charred skeletons of buildings around her bore no resemblance to the Paris that she knew. 

Chat stood resolute beside her. “What’s next, m’lady?”

She turned to him, unsure what to say. There was soot in his hair and a shiny burn mark across his cheek. Yet somehow, he was full of the same faith that the two of them could defeat any enemy. That the two of them, against the world, would always come out on top.

“I don’t know, Chat.” Their fire transformations helped them from feeling the worst of the heat from the flames surrounding them, but Ladybug was all out of magical macaroons to feed Tikki, and would need to make this transformation her last if she wanted to withstand the fire. 

Chat sighed as the akuma came into view around the corner. “I’m sure you will think of something,” he reassured her, and together they leapt up onto the closest intact rooftop to avoid the blast of flames headed their way.

The building groaned under their added weight, half of it already scorched. The akuma rose on a tower of flames to meet them at their level. “You can’t run forever, Ladybug and Chat Noir!”

“Isn’t it about time you burnt out?” Chat asked, extending his baton into a staff and sending it twirling. He was just in time to deflect the flames headed toward him, and Ladybug watched as they landed on a food cart on the street, igniting it immediately.

She winced, ready to call on another Lucky Charm and hope this would be the last one. 

“Ladybug!” Chat’s cry distracted her, and she turned in time to see him leap toward her, tackling her to the ground as flames danced over their heads. The tumble sent them rolling across the rooftop. Ladybug moaned as they came to a stop, the world freezing around her for one moment before the roof beneath them groaned and gave way. 

She tried to swallow her scream, but with Chat above her, they went tumbling into the depths of the charred structure. Chat pulled her to him, twisting them around so that he was below her, and that it was his back that blasted through each floor of the building as they fell. 

They came to a sharp stop when they hit solid ground, Ladybug pressed into Chat’s chest. They hardly had a moment before laughter from the akuma rang down to them. “Let’s see how long you last now!” he said, and blasted his fire down the hole in the building. 

Ladybug and Chat rolled out of the way, but there was no escaping the flames. The walls around them ignited, immediately beginning to burn. 

They both jumped into escape mode. 

“I think we’re in a basement,” Chat said, going as close to the walls as possible. “There aren’t any windows.”

Ladybug looked up for a possible ledge to attach her yo-yo to. Everything was in flames. “Do you think you can lift us out of here?” she asked Chat. “I don’t see anything to latch on to.”

Chat turned to her, his eyes wide, and his empty hands extended. “My staff is still on the roof.”

Ladybug tried not to let her panic show, but didn’t think she quite managed it. “Lucky Charm!” she called.

The light above her coalesced and an old flip phone landed in her hands.

“I’m not in the mood for riddles, Tikki,” she muttered, turning the phone over and over while trying to decide what to do. 

“I think it’s obvious,” Chat grabbed the phone out of her hand and flipped it open. He dialed quickly and held it up to his ear. “BSPP? It’s Chat Noir. Ladybug and I are in a bit of a jam. I know you’re probably packed with the current weather conditions but do you think you could come find us sooner than later? We’re in a basement somewhere on Avenue de Breteuil, in the 7eme. Merci.”

He snapped the phone shut and handed it back to Ladybug. 

“So that’s it?” she asked. “We just wait for the Fire Brigade?” Her earrings gave a soft beep. “I only have four minutes.”

“And I know you hate being dependent on someone else.” He stepped closer to her and grabbed her hand. “But I think that’s our only option.”

Ladybug felt her heart skip a beat. “Oh no, no, no, no.” She could feel the panic starting to set in. She tried to take a deep breath only to inhale a lungful of smoke, sending her into a coughing fit. 

“Take this,” Chat held her yo-yo up to her mouth, forcing her to breathe into it. The clean air helped to clear her head. She took a few deep breaths before pulling it away from her nose. 

“Here,” she held it out to Chat, but he shook his head. 

“Keep it.”

“Chat, we can share –”

“I said keep it.”

Ladybug glared at him. 

Chat sighed. “There’s no way I’m going to take your clean air.”

“We both need to breathe, chaton.”

He winced. “You more than me.”

Ladybug closed her eyes. They had had this discussion more times than she could count, but now, as they stood together with an angry inferno surrounding them, she had no idea how to convince him that he needed to survive just as much as she did. That _she_ needed him to survive. 

Her earrings gave another beep. 

“Ladybug, listen to me,” Chat said suddenly, one hand still holding hers, the other coming up to cup her face. “I need you to forgive me for anything I might do in order to make sure you get out of here.”

“Chat, what are you –”

“I’m serious,” he said, dropping her hand and tilting her face up with both of his hands. “Just know I’ll do what I have to do. And if this is it –”

She squeezed her eyes shut to avoid his piercing gaze. “Chat, don’t talk like that.”

“I have to,” he insisted. “Because you need to know that this – that you – have been the best thing to ever happen to me.” Tears leaked out of her eyes, and she looked at him to see he was crying too, tear tracks cutting through the grime and soot. “I just need you to know that you’re my everything.”

“Chat...”

“I need you to know that I love –”

Ladybug pulled him down and kissed him, unable to hear the rest of his sentence, or any of the words that he needed her to hear. 

The heat around them paled in comparison to the spark inside of her; to her burning desire for Chat, her stupid, perfect, self-sacrificing partner; to her desperate need to share her oxygen with him. 

Her earrings let out another warning. 

She pulled away just far enough to lean her forehead against his. “I know,” she whispered. “Me too.” 

Chat opened his eyes, his gaze burning her more than the flames ever could. 

And then they were kissing again, desperately intertwined with one another. She pressed herself as close to him as possible, the heat of his body comforting despite the temperature in the room. The touch of his gloves on her exposed cheeks was scorching. She could barely hear the crackle and snap of the flames over the sound of Chat’s moans and her own blood pounding in her ears. She wanted to lose herself in him completely, so that if this was the end, she wouldn’t have to worry about anything more than the feel of Chat Noir, the taste of Chat Noir, the – 

They broke apart, gasping and sputtering, as they were blasted with a strong stream of water. 

“Ladybug! Chat Noir! We’re here to rescue you!” 

Ladybug finished coughing out the last of the water to look at Chat. He was shaking the water out of his hair like a dog. 

A firefighter in a cherry picker appeared above them. Ladybug tossed her yo-yo, securing it against the bucket before grabbing Chat around the waist. He settled in for her to lift them up. 

“You know something, Ladybug?” he asked. She hummed in response as they zipped through the air toward the firefighter, fresh air, and the akuma waiting to be vanquished. 

“That was hot.”

~~~

+1

Ladybug stood back and watched as Chat Noir talked to the man who used to be Mr. Lonely. She could see Alya hanging around the entrance of the park, but hoped she wouldn’t try to get an interview. 

It was hard enough dodging all of her questions that morning as Marinette; she didn’t need to dodge questions as Ladybug too. 

Chat approached her. “Poor guy. Imagine your friends make plans without you _and_ you get targeted by Hawkmoth all in one morning?”

“I guess some people are just unlucky.”

Chat laughed, loud and free, and Ladybug wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him and never let go. She thought about earlier in the fight, when she met Adrien on the footbridge, and wondered if Chat could be thinking about the same thing. 

Chat Noir had conveniently arrived very quickly after Adrien Agreste left her sight. 

“Do you ever feel lonely, Chat?” She couldn’t explain what made her ask that, but she had known he was very lonely when they were younger, back when he would make a big deal out of meeting up for patrols just so he could see her. Maybe she wanted to know if that was still his reason for wanting joint patrols. 

Chat sent her a soft smile. “I used to be.” He extended his staff and leaned on it for support, his legs crossed at the ankles. “But I’m not so lonely lately.”

“Really?”

Chat huffed, pretending to be annoyed. “I do have friends, you know. Actually, I made a new friend this week. _And_ I was out with a friend just this morning.”

Ladybug’s smile grew. “What were you doing?”

“Just taking a stroll through the park.” Chat’s smile was soft, like he wasn’t just having a lighthearted conversation. Like there was more to the story if she just let herself believe it. 

“That sounds nice.”

Chat hummed and leaned closer to her. She could smell his aftershave, the same one he had been using since they were sixteen. “Sometimes, I like to go out and look for ladybugs. They say if you catch one, it’s good luck.”

This day could be like any other, and Chat could just be teasing her in his usual manner. Or, she could take this sunny Saturday afternoon and make it extraordinary. 

She could lean forward – it wouldn’t take much – and kiss him. She had never kissed him in broad daylight, with an audience, and with Alya’s trusty camera ready to document it for the world to see. But she could do it, and Chat wouldn’t stop her. And then the entire world would talk about it on Monday morning, and she could casually ask Adrien what he thinks, and find out if he thinks Ladybug and Chat Noir belong together, and then she could kiss him too, just to see if he tasted the same as her chaton. 

But she didn’t kiss him, because it was broad daylight and there were children watching, and she didn’t know if Adrien was Chat Noir. And it was too much effort to try and figure it out when all she wanted was to relax this morning. 

“Maybe you’ve already caught one,” she answered him, and watched his smile grow wider. “You just have to test it and see if you’ll get lucky.”

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment, and come chat with me at somethingvaguetodo.tumblr.com


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